Folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in maternal and fetal blood, and amniotic fluid in second trimester pregnancies complicated by neural tube defects.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate maternal and fetal folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in pregnancies affected by neural tube defects (NTD).

DESIGN

Measurement of folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in amniotic fluid, fetal blood and maternal blood samples in midgestation.

SUBJECTS

32 women undergoing termination of pregnancy at 14-21 weeks gestation for social reasons (n = 24) or for fetuses with neural tube defects (n = 8).

INTERVENTIONS

Fetoscopy before intra-amniotic injection of prostaglandins.

RESULTS

In normal pregnancies there was a positive correlation between maternal and fetal serum folate, and the fetal serum and red blood cell folate concentrations were higher than the maternal. There were no differences in amniotic fluid, maternal blood or fetal blood folate concentrations between pregnancies with NTD and normal pregnancies. Although amniotic fluid vitamin B12 was lower in pregnancies with NTD, maternal serum vitamin B12 concentration was not reduced.

CONCLUSION

In this small group of pregnancies with NTD at mid-gestation there is no evidence to suggest folate or vitamin B12 deficiency.